1892.] THE MICEOSCOPE. 239 



artemia gathered from the lake in September, 1S92, and the water 

 taken then showed on analysis 14.623.33 grains of dissolved solids 

 to the imperial gallon, the greater part of this being salt. Indeed 

 I have captured the creatures in the evaporating ponds of the salt 

 works, where the brine was near its point of saturation. It is not 

 difficult to accustom them to a diluted medium ; I have kept them 

 alive for days in lake water diluted with 25, 50, So, and yo per 

 cent, fresh water, and from eight to eighteen hours in fresh water 

 only. Of course the changes from brine to fresh water were made 

 gradually. 



As to their food, in captivity they live upon meat, bread, or 

 vegetables, and in fact upon almost anything in the nature of 

 food, and they are not slow in attacking the bodies of their own 

 dead. In the lake the}' probably subsist on the organic matters 

 carried down by the rivers, upon the marine algae which flourish 

 about the shores, and upon the dead larvas and the pupa cases of 

 a flv, which are found in the water in orreat numbers. 



During a cruise upon the lake in September of the present year 

 the crustaceans were found in great abundance. When near the 

 middle of the lake, w^th a small tow net, we soon took a quart of 

 the shrimps, and thereupon resolved upon an experiment the sub- 

 sequent recital of which has shocked the gastronomic sensibilities 

 of some of my dearest friends. Reasoning that the bodies of the 

 artemia were composed largely of chitin, we concluded that the 

 question of their palatability was at least worthy of investigation. 

 By a simple vs^ashing with fresh water the excess of lake brine was 

 removed, after which the shrimps were cooked with no accom- 

 paniments save a trifle of butter and a suggestion of pepper. They 

 were found to be actually delicious. If the artemiae. could be 

 caught and preserved in quantity, I doubt not they would soon be 

 classed as an epicurean delicacy. 



The mounting of the crustaceans for permanent microscopical 

 use is by no means a simple undertaking, most of the ordinary 

 media causing the delicate structure to become distorted, or pro- 

 ducing such a transparency as to render the whole object invisible. 

 The method which I now use is to mount them in a preparation 

 of lake water, with corrosive sublimate and an alcoholic solution 

 of carbolic acid. Into this fluid the living artemiae are transferred 

 directly from the lake brine ; they die quickly, but in so doing 

 spread themselves out most perfectly. By this method it is not 

 always possible to get the mount free from foreign particles, but 

 this is but a slight disadvantage. Before mounting I make a very 

 shallow cell of hot paraffin and balsam, and after the cover-glass 

 is in position I ring the edge with a very little of the same 

 material, following this with repeated layers of cement. King's 

 preferred. 



The popular literature of the day still declares that no living 



